The goals of Long Island University1Brooklyn Campus' proposal, "MBRS Support for Continuous Research Excellence" are to: 1) enhance the Campus' research infrastructure in the biomedical sciences by expanding into eight new areas of research and by increasing the number of a) funded research projects, b) published journal articles, and c) scientific presentations at national conferences; 2) promote and sustain the success of faculty and students to conduct funded biomedical research, especially faculty and students from under-represented minority groups; 3) bring a greater symmetry between teaching and biomedical research so that faculty can successfully pursue careers in both areas. Objective 1: The subprojects will broaden the scope of externally funded biomedical research from the present 4 scientific topics to an additional 8 areas, bring the number to 12. Objective 2: The number of research proposals in biomedical research will increase 10 percent yearly in the first two SCORE years and 15 percent yearly in the second two years, starting with the base of 24. In the last two years, when their present funding expires, at least one-half of the proposals will be submitted by faculty funded by SCORE or by the original MBRS subprojects' PIs. Objective 3: From the base of 160 publications, the number of publications will increase by 6 percent by the end of the first year of funding, 6 percent by the end of the second year, and 8 percent by the end of the third and fourth years. Objective 4: Each faculty member funded in SCORE will mentor at least 2 students, with preference going to qualified students from under-represented minority groups. At least half of these students will apply to graduate degree programs in the biomedical sciences. Formative and summative evaluation will assess the degree to which the project meets the stated goals and objectives. Evaluation measures include closed-end surveys, case studies and analysis of longitudinal data obtained through the project's data base that tracks the progress of the funded PIs as they implement their research plans and reapply for funding, submit journal articles for publication, and make presentations at national scientific conferences. Also, evaluation measures will document the effect of SCORE activities on the science majors mentored, as to their applications to graduate or doctoral programs in biomedical research. SCORE will have in-house support and evaluation reviews from the Advisory Committee and scientific advice and guidance from the Brooklyn Campus Research Council. The project director reports to the Provost and the Academic Vice President, two people whose resources and influence will underscore SCORE's success. The Brooklyn Campus SCORE will contribute to the nation's health by insuring that faculty and students at this minority institution become a part of the biomedical research community of scholars and scientists. In this way, the project will help MBRS attain its mission.